


Silver Roses

by IsobelSalmon



Category: The Forbidden Game - L. J. Smith
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2014-01-23
Packaged: 2018-01-09 17:18:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1148723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsobelSalmon/pseuds/IsobelSalmon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jenny Thornton has been alone before, her family have gone off and left her alone for a few days. Her friends have frequently taken weekend trips away. But never all at once. And not since Julian. But now Julian is dead and for the first time Jenny finds herself completely alone.</p><p>Until the silver roses begin appearing...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jenny Thornton ran her brush through her long silky hair and took the bowl of popcorn from the microwave. Sighing sadly she sat on a sofa in front of the T.V, wearing her fuzzy pink dressing gown and dull grey sweat suit pyjamas she felt anything but glamorous. Wistfully her mind trailed to thoughts of Julian, how he had made her feel so wild and sexy no matter what she was wearing. She turned the T.V. on with the remote control and dipped her hand into the popcorn, shoving it into her mouth greedily. She didn’t like thinking of Julian, her hands withdrew from the bowl of popcorn and she twisted the golden ring on her finger sadly. She shouldn’t be missing Julian, not after everything he had done to her friends. To her. But she did.

 

 _I wish Tommy were here,_ she thought sadly missing her boyfriend, _or Dee…or_ anyone _for that matter._ It had never occurred to her how weird it was that all of her friends had suddenly made plans to go away for the next few weeks. Even odder was that her family too had made plans; none of them included Jenny though.

 

The wind outside started to pick up, turning from a small eerie moan into a full blown terrifying howl. All at once the lights flickered on and off and the T.V. switched itself off completely, jumping up startled Jenny stood in the middle of the blackened room trying to figure out what had happened.

 

“It’s just a power cut,” she tried to reassure herself, “nothing more…just a silly little power cut.” She crept to the window – why she crept she didn’t know – and peered out through a gap in the curtains. Bile bubbled and rose in her stomach; none of the other houses seemed to be suffering from power cuts. She could see lights blaring in the window and the flickering of a T.V changing channels; if she listened she could hear the faint drumming of someone’s sound system.

 

“ _Jeeeeeennnnnnnyyyy_ ,” she spun around hearing the faint whisper, “ _Jeeeeeennnnnnnyyyy._ ” Still she could see no one and she began to perspire in fear. “ _Jeeeeeennnnnnnyyyy_.” This time the whisper filled the room, coming at her from all sides; front, back, left and right.

 

“Go away!” She screamed helplessly as a shadow within the shadows loomed towards her. “Please! Leave me alone!” But the shadow ignored her and stepped closer, reaching out as if to touch her. “ _Noooooooo_!” Jenny screamed helplessly and fell back against the wall, the lights flicked on and the room was filled with canned laughter. She looked over and saw the T.V. too had switched itself on, she stood up straight and her foot brushed against something. Looking down she found a silver rose lying at her foot, she picked it up with a scream of disgust and shredded the petals. She stalked into the kitchen and threw them into the bin, too angry to think about what was going on. She looked around the dark kitchen stonily trying to make out if the shadows were just shadows or if they were something more sinister. “Whoever you are…” she said quietly, “just _fuck off_.”

 

* * *

 

Julian watched Jenny sleep a few days later. She was curled up into a tight ball, her hands shielded her face and the blanket was wrapped around her securely. Smiling grimly he reached down and brushed a lock of her silky hair away from her face. Her skin was slick with sweat and she was shivering despite been wrapped up in the warm blanket. She stirred and her eyes flickered open, she gazed up at him as if in a dream.

   

“No…” She whispered shaking her head in fear; Julian smiled gently and kissed her cheek. He touched her forehead and whispered words in a lost language; she closed her eyes and fell back into her slumber.

    

Julian placed a single silver rose on her pillow. And left.

 

* * *

 

Like the first rose she had received Jenny shredded this one up and hurled it into the bin, sobbing quietly Julian was _dead_ , so who was leaving her these roses and _why_? She grabbed some clothes and changed under the duvet, afraid that someone – or some _thing_ – may be watching her.

 

* * *

 

The weeks crawled by, every morning Jenny would wake up to find a single silver rose laying next to her on the pillow. At first she would shred them up before throwing them away, now though she simply placed them in a drawer. She didn’t know why, but there was no point in destroying the beautiful things, she would just accumulate more the next day.

 

Later that same day, during the evening, Jenny sat in front of the T.V. clutching a mug of hot chocolate. She was back in her sweat suit pyjamas and fuzzy pink dressing gown, staring glumly at the moving images on the T.V. The silver roses were fresh on her mind, no matter how much she tried to push them away they always came back.

 

“ _Jeeeeeennnnnnnyyyy_ ,” she clutched the mug and looked around, “ _Jeeeeeennnnnnnyyyy_.” She jumped up; it now took nearly all of her strength to not drop the hot chocolate. She spun around looking for the source of the room wildly, when her eyes rested on the kitchen doorway she let out a scream. A boy around the same age as her stood there, he wore a pair of black jeans that hugged his hips and legs. He wore a black shirt unbuttoned and had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, under the shirt was a black vest that showed of a flat stomach that led onto narrow hips and a well muscled chest. His hair was a pure white colour, like freshly fallen snow that had not yet been disturbed. “Hello Jenny,” he smiled lowering his eye lashes over impossibly blue eyes.

 

“What are you doing here?” She asked in a frightened whisper as he stepped closer to her, his soft black boots not making a sound. “I watched you die,” that bit came out as a choked sob and a tear trickled down her cheek, “I held onto you!”

 

Strong hands held onto her and she leant against the familiar form crying quietly into his chest. Gently he plucked the hot chocolate out of her grip and set it down on the floor and gently moved her over to a settee. Again she was enveloped in strong arms and lips brushed against the top of her head, soothing her gently.

 

“No,” she said gently as if waking up from a trance, “please Julian…I don’t want this.” It sounded like a lie, even to her – but it was part true. _This is a dream,_ she told herself staring up into those soft blue eyes, _I’ll wake up any minute now and there’ll be a silver rose on my pillow._ Something soft stroked her cheek and she closed her eyes dreamily, she felt Julian moved closer – as if to kiss her – and she quickly opened them. She looked at what he was holding and shook her head dazed. A silver rose.

 

“This isn’t a dream,” Julian said in his cool silky voice, “this is _real_ Jenny. I’m here for what rightfully belongs to me.”


	2. Chapter 2

Jenny stood up to move away from him, she had forgotten about his snake like reflexes though. He reached out and pulled her down, seating her on his lap. Linking his arms around her waist loosely; she could easily pull free of this grip. _If_ she wanted too. Her eyes trailed down to his lips, they were lightly apart and small puffs of air brushed against her face. They looked full, warm and inviting…she just wanted to lean her head down and kiss him softly.

 

“W – Why were you bought back?” She asked forcing her eyes to look away from his inviting mouth and back up to his eyes. “Who brought you back and… _when_ were you bought back? Have you been watching me long?” The thought of him watching her, without her knowing was disturbing. He could have been _anywhere_ , had she had any privacy?!

 

“Jenny calm down,” he whispered softly stroking her cheek with his thumb, “ _yes_ I have being watching you. But I’ve given you plenty of privacy. I was bought back a few weeks or so after my death. I don’t know _why_ …they never told me. They said they wouldn’t cut my name out off the runestave on one condition.”

 

“And what condition was that?” Jenny asked gulping slightly, she knew what it was. But she prayed that she was wrong.

 

“I claim what belongs to me and bring her home with me.” Jenny shook her head slowly, tears blurring her eyes. He couldn’t do this! She had won, and at a high price! He had put her through so much, and then just as she _knew_ she loved him, she lost him…now he was back and fucking up her mind again. He had set her free, but now it looked like he had reverted back to his old self.

 

“ _No_ ,” she said quietly, “I will _not_ let you take me there.” In one fluid and gentle motion Julian moved her off his lap so that she lay down on the settee. He gently rested his knees against her hips and pinned her arms down.

 

“You can’t stop me Jenny,” he whispered bringing his head down close to hers, their lips almost touching. “This is how it should be…just you and me. Do you know how many times I have lain awake all night? Wishing I could be holding you? That you were with me?” He pushed her dressing gown open and smiled at the unflattering grey pyjamas she wore beneath, “we belong together. You belong to me.” To demonstrate his point he ran his index finger along the neckline of her pyjamas, down the middle and across her breasts. The very fabric of her top twitched and she watched in horror as the threads seemed to evaporate, leaving only her white t-shirt bra for cover. A guttural growl came from deep within Julian's throat, his fingertips traced over a vein in her breast, dipping beneath the cup and circling her nipple teasingly. 

 

“No. I don’t,” she hissed managing to push his hands away and shrug her dressing gown back on, “you set me free. Remember? ‘I am my only master.’” She quoted as she pulled the golden band on her finger; she looked at the inscription and froze – her insides going icy cold.

 

“I told you when you first made that promise that it was irrevocable. When I died,” his voice was thick as if he was crying and Jenny looked at him startled, “I told you, you were free…because I didn’t expect to come back. You’ve always belonged to me since that day…but I thought since I would never see you again…I wanted you to move on.” Jenny looked at the ring bitterly, the inscription had reverted back to ‘all I refuse & thee I chuse.’

 

“My friends won’t let you,” she said throwing it onto the floor stubbornly, “they –” She froze. It clicked. “You…you _planned_ this?” She accused her voice rising hysterically.

 

“I didn’t want to risk not getting you. When your friends get back you’ll be gone and they’ll think I’m dead and staying that way.” Jenny shook her head; she was suddenly terrified of him. He had managed to get rid of everyone close to her, without raising any type of suspicion – what else was he capable off?

 

“I’m _not_ going back to the Shadow World!” She screamed jumping up, “I hate it there!” She ran for the front door, she didn’t care that she was half naked beneath her dressing gown. She had to get out, she had to find _help_!

 

“Jenny _stop_ ,” Julian ordered disappearing and reappearing in front of the front door just as she reached it. He grabbed her upper arms holding onto them gently but firmly so that she couldn’t break free. She slumped slightly in his grip, moonlight trickled through the glass window of the door and Julian could see light tear tracks on her cheeks. “I know you’re scared but its okay. No one in the Shadow World can touch you, only me. You’ll be perfectly safe.”

 

“You lied to me,” she whispered sniffing slightly, “why? You told me I was free…even though you knew perfectly well I _wasn’t_.”

 

“I told you, I did not expect to come back,” he buried his head into her hair, still holding onto her arms. She felt the top of her head dampen slightly and she let her own tears fall more freely.

 

“Why are _you_ crying?” She said slightly bitterly, “you’re not being kidnapped…”

 

“I didn’t think I would ever see you again, _hold_ you again.” He sobbed quietly ignoring the kidnapping remark. “Come…it’s time we went.”

 

“ _No_!” Jenny screamed, “please Julian! I’m glad you’re not dead but _please_. You set me free… _please_!” She struggled against his tight hold desperately trying to break free. She kicked his shin and he let go letting out a small yelp of pain. She ran for the back door, she knew she didn’t have a chance of getting away but she had to _try_. Julian caught her around the waist and they both tripped over a settee, he landed on top of her knocking the wind out off her.

 

“I told you that promise was _irrevocable_. It could _never_ be broken, no matter what!” He said gently stroking her ear but not getting off her. He stroked her hair as she sobbed uncontrollably, his heart wrenched at the sound of her crying but he couldn’t do anything to help. He had to bring her to the Shadow World, she belonged to him. And once she had settled in she would see that. “Ssh,” he whispered soothingly, “I’m sorry Jenny…please don’t cry.”

 

Finally he got off her and stood up; she sat up and curled up in the corner of the settee wiping her eyes feverishly. She looked down at the ring on her finger sadly and shook her head in disbelief. Months ago she would have given _anything_ to bring Julian back…including going back to his world as his. So what had changed? Julian knelt in front of her and placed his hands on her knees gently; she looked at his hands and then slowly met his gaze.

 

“Can’t we play another game? Chess?” She asked her voice still thick, “please Julian…”

 

“No Jenny,” he smiled softly, “I’m through with games…and you can’t even play chess. Please, I know you don’t want this…but you belong with me.” She shook her head and he moved his hands up to her own hands squeezing them gently. “Yes…you do. And I’m sorry, but you should never have made that promise if you did not want to live with it!”

 

“I…” She shook her head; there was no point in saying she thought she could get away from it. When she had made it she had been willing to stay, it wasn’t until the last minute that she had formed a get away plan.

 

A small whirring noise filled the air and Jenny looked around the room trying to find its source. Her eyes rested on a spot in the middle of the floor, a small dark spot was forming and expanding. As it grew it seemed to fill with shoots of lightning and she looked at Julian startled, shaking her head pleadingly.

 

“I’m sorry Jenny but I’ve – _we’ve_ – being given a second chance. _Please_ …let’s not mess it up.” She opened her mouth to argue but he was already standing up and pulling her with him. A sense of déjà vu crept over her as they approached the hole in the ground.

 

“Isn’t that what you used to take my friends to the base in the second game?” She whispered clinging to him in fear; so many times she had been close to losing. But she had always won…how would she this time?! And did she _really_ want too?

 

“Yes, but they can take you anywhere.” He picked her hand up and brushed his lips along it lightly. “Just one little jump…” He said pushing her forward to the mouth of the portal gently. She looked down into nothingness and froze shaking her head in terror.

 

“Please…I can’t. I’m too scared!” Julian turned her to face him and kissed her forehead lightly; he placed his fingers on her temples and coaxed her into a deep sleep. As she succumbed to the spell she stared accusingly into the liquid sapphire eyes. _I’m sorry Tommy_ , she thought ashamed at how easily she had given up, _I’m sorry guys…please don’t hate me…_


	3. Chapter 3

Jenny forced her eyes open and used her arms to push herself up into a sitting position. The floor on which she lay on was a soft pale blue carpeting. The blue was unlike any other she had seen before; it was like clear sparkling ice yet as blue as a summer’s sky. Julian appeared, almost as if from thin air, and smiled warmly at her. Tears pricked her eyes and she looked around the room silently, there was a large comfortable looking settee in front of a large widescreen television. She looked at him questioningly about this item but he shook his head – he would tell her what it was for later.

 

“Welcome home,” he said gently reaching out to help her up, “would you like me to show you the rest of your home?”

 

“This is _not_ my home,” she snapped before she could stop herself. Something crossed into Julian’s eyes, something she had never seen before – hurt. A pang of guilt twisted her heart and she looked down at the floor sadly. “I’m sorry…”

 

“It’s okay,” he said pulling her up and enveloping her in his arms, “you’re just upset…I know that and I’m sorry. But this is how things should be, you and I. Together.” She buried her head into his vest as she felt a lump fill her throat, but she wouldn’t let herself cry. What’s done is done…she would just have to find a way to escape. “Jenny there is no way to escape,” Julian whispered soothingly stroking her hair, “please just accept this.”

 

“You know I can’t do that,” she said quietly, “I don’t belong here, no matter what you say.” Julian sighed but didn’t say anything; instead he continued to stroke her hair.

 

“Let me show you around,” he said eventually, “you’ll change your mind once you’ve seen the place.” Jenny opened her mouth to protest but Julian silenced her with a kiss. His lips were like a butterfly’s wings against her own and it sent small electric shocks coursing through her. She leaned in to kiss him back but pulled away at the last moment; Tommy. She couldn’t betray him. The first thing she noticed was that they must be in a log cabin; the walls were round and wooden. It gave a warm winter romance feel to the whole place, one she didn’t think she’d be comfortable with if she was trying to resist him.

 

The bottom floor had three rooms, the front door led onto the rectangular sitting room while at the back there was a wall with two doors; one of which led to a kitchen while the second led into a cosy yet elegant dining room. The walls were painted a romantic red colour and candles adorned the walls and the centre of the deep rich mahogany table. Mahogany chairs with red and gold upholstery were seated around the table. Slowly Julian slipped a hand around her waist and untied the belt of her dressing gown. This time she was stripped of her dressing gown completely, he lowered his head to her neck and pressed his lips against her throat. Jenny almost gave into him – the atmosphere of the room certainly demanded that sort of behaviour but she just couldn’t get Tom or her friends out of her mind.

 

“Julian stop it,” she begged him stepping out of his grip and rubbing the spot on her neck where he’d been kissing her. She saw a flash in his eyes, like lightning flickering over a blue dawn sky and she shuddered. She leant down to scoop up her dressing gown, but with a click of his fingers the fluffy pink gown disappeared. She straightened up and covered herself with her arms. Even if he lost his temper she wouldn’t give in, she wasn’t giving in to his seduction so she wouldn’t give into his bullying! As if reading her mind he wordlessly took her hand and pulled her back into the sitting room and up the stairs.

 

The first room he showed her was a study; bookcases were crammed against the two side walls while a window occupied the back wall and a roaring fireplace on either side of the door on the front wall. It had a warm cosy feel to it and Jenny couldn’t resist walking over to the books and looking at them. In the middle of the room was an oak desk with stationary on it and drawers going down the sides, all of which were locked she was told. Comfortable looking chairs sat beside the bookcases while the windowsill itself was cushioned with a deep royal blue cushion seat. The window showed a view of violent snowstorms raging across a deserted land – although it was no wonder it was deserted with this violent storm. Jenny also noted that this was the only window in the whole place that she’d noticed.

 

“I use magic to keep the rooms lit, as the day goes on they’ll dim to show the hour and at night they’ll go off completely. You can use ordinary lights then,” he said flicking a light switch nearby, she realised then that it was night here and she dreaded going to sleep.

 

The second room was a bathroom with ocean blue tiles that sent a water like glow across the room making it shimmer and give it an underwater feel. This room was the only one that could make you think this wasn’t a log cabin, the walls were straight and tiled rather than the curved wooden logs in all the other rooms. A large Jacuzzi like bath took up the centre and Jenny couldn’t help but blush as she saw the look on Julian’s face.

 

The bedroom made her gasp; it was large, richly furnished and just so beautiful. In the middle of the wall to the left was a large king-sized four-poster bed with black velvet curtains and black sheets edged with a gold and silver intricate pattern. On either side of the bed were small cabinets with a lamp on them, the lamps had black shades with a pattern of gold and silver symbols on it. On closer inspection she noticed that the symbols were the runes which she’d become so familiar with over the past year during the games. A sort of lounging-settee was propped against the back wall and it looked comfortable and inviting. To her right was a make-up table and a wardrobe.

 

“It’s late we should get to sleep,” Julian said towing her over to the bed and sitting her down on it as he promptly removed his shirt. Jenny blushed a deep red and tried her best not to stare, but he was so well made…his muscles were chiselled and well defined. They were perfect!

 

“I’ll sleep on the se-“

 

“No,” Julian said pushing her back onto the bed gently and sitting beside her. He took her hands gently and brushed his lips along them sending small chills coursing through her body. “We can just sleep; nothing has to happen between us until you are absolutely ready for something to happen.” He caressed her face gently holding her eyes with his as he smiled at her.

 

“And if I’m never ready?” She asked him just about managing to will herself to pull her face free from his caress. “Because I will never want to have any sort of relationship with you Julian – I love Tommy and I cannot betray him in that way.”

 

“But you can betray me?” When Jenny opened her mouth to protest her he placed a hand over it silencing her. “You’re sworn mine Jenny, when you made that promise it was irrevocable. Even when I died you were still mine, I never expected to be resurrected though…would you have rather known you were mine even though I was dead? I wanted you to be happy, but if you had that hanging over your head would you have been?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Jenny.” He spoke with a firm voice with a small warning tone to it; Jenny bit her lip and looked down at her feet. Would she have been alright with it? Of course not. She would have told Tommy she was fine, she’d have lied to him to keep him happy…but secretly she’d have been looking over her shoulder. What if the impossible happened? What if he was somehow brought back and he came to claim her? Could she have really lived everyday of her life like that? Would she have been able to stand at an alter to wed Tom when at the back of her mind she was being reminded she was already promised to someone, as good as married to Julian.

 

“No.” She answered shaking her head and blinking back tears. The realisation of how she’d never truly been free since she’d made that promise hit her, could she really have married Tom or anyone else for that matter knowing that she belonged to another man? She let him wrap his arms around her and she buried her face into his shoulder, his shirt was surprisingly soft and comforting against her cheek. “I wish I’d never made that promise,” she whispered tearfully thinking about how much trouble it had caused since. But at the time it’d seemed like such a good idea…surely there’d have been another way?


End file.
